Do your employees know where the edge is?

I had my first meeting with a new client recently.  One of his objectives is to stop being the first point of call for any employee with a question or problem.

I asked him what he does when this happens and his response was that he answers their question or tells them how to solve the problem.  I could see that before he got to the end of his answer he had started to realise that this was teaching his employees to keep bringing him their questions and problems and eroding their will and capacity to decide for themselves.

We talked about why he behaves this way and his answer was:

• It's quicker to tell them the answer than it is to teach them how to solve it themselves, or to get into a discussion about why they feel they can't decide for themselves
• He worries that if he directs them to their line manager or supervisor then that person might give them the wrong answer (by which he meant, a different answer to the one he would give)
• He does not want to lose control of what is going on in the business

Fixing this issue is of course essential if he wants to achieve his aim of a scalable, sellable business that does not rely upon him.  It also requires sustained effort on a number of levels from the procedural to the behavioural.  However, we have to start somewhere so I asked him how well he thought his employees understood the scope, authority and objectives of their roles.  The answer, after some probing, was "Not very well."  Some symptoms amongst many were missing job descriptions, lack of measurement and infrequent management reviews.

If you are blindfolded and not sure a) where you are and b) where you are going then you are unlikely to take bold decisive steps forward.  Instead you will shuffle forward, feeling for the edge - or just stand still making plaintive bleating noises.  In a business, if employees do not know where they are going or why, or what decisions they are allowed to make, or how something should be done, or who they report to and who reports to them,,,then they won't display initiative, innovate or take responsibility.  Instead, they will form a queue outside your door waiting for you to decide things for them.

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